"Deeanna!" Ken yelled, desperately. He ran after her. Everyone else, including DemiVeemon, just looked at each other in horror. In a matter of seconds, Yolei had destroyed a relationship that had taken years of careful communication and love to cultivate.
Deeanna ran as fast as her legs would go, her vision blurred by her tears. How could he?! She wanted to yell and scream and hit something or someone. She wanted to tear Yolei's hair out by the roots. She wanted to cry. She wanted to lay down and die...
Her sharp hearing told her that Ken was indeed running after her.
*Let him run!* she thought, struggling to control her sobs.
"Deanna!" Ken called.
"Leave me alone!" Deeanna yelled over her shoulder.
Crying and running weren't two things that went together well, and Deeanna slowed down gradually, until she was doing no more than very fast walking. Ken caught up, and wrapped his arms around her gently from behind. Deeanna struggled half heartedly as she cried. Ken turned her around, and held her firmly.
"Go away!" Deeanna sobbed, trying to punch him."I hate you-! I-I-I ha-hate-!"
"Shh shh shh," Ken murmered."calm down."
Slowly, Deeanna quieted, sobbing aloud now and then. She muttered softly to herself. Ken caught the words "Cheating", "Hussy", "Hate you", and "Liar".
"Now, Deeanna," Ken said, leading her over to the shde of a tree."we're going to sit down, and we're going to talk about this."
Deeanna sat down, still sniffling. Her eyes were red, and her face puffy.
"Deeanna, I have NOT been cheating on you." Ken said. Deeanna glared fiercely at him."No, it's true," he insisted."All these years, I've been waiting for you. I've never even looked at another girl. Yolei is just a jealous...hussy, as you call her." he laughed softly.
"Then why'd you let her kiss you?" Deeanna demanded.
"Well, she took me by surprise." Ken explained."I didn't really know what to do. And, I did pull away."
"And you broke Ch-ch-!" Deeanna said, her eyes tearing up again. Ken gathered her into a hug.
"I'm so sorry that happened, Deeanna. It was an accident. I wish I'd had a better grip on it. I wish it hadn't happened at all. I think that Yolei was trying to make you angry by kissing me in front of you."
"Well I think it worked!" Deeanna said, screwing up her face against a fresh set of tears."I hate these female emotions! I cry too much!"
"Oh, Deeanna..." Ken said, cuddling her close.
A small clinking sound made Izzy look up from the picnic table where he was sitting, head in hands, pondering the strange situation. DemiVeemon had deposited all the broken pieces of chibi-Ken on the table.
"I picked them all up, Izzy." he said."Can you put them back together?"
"I can try." Izzy said."In fact, I think I can, and I will. It'll make Deeanna happy again, I bet."
He scooped the pieces up and into a bag.
"Come on, you," he said to the small blue digimon."you know exactly how it should look, so why don't you tag along with me and see that I put it back together right, okay?"
"Kay!" DemiVeemon chirped, hopping onto Izzy's hand, scrambling up his arm, and sitting on his shoulder.
"Hey," Izzy called to the others."I'm taking DemiVeemon with me tonight, so if you see her, tell Deeanna not to worry."
"Will do." Joe said.
Ken stood up. Deeanna looked at him questioningly.
"I'm going back to get your bag, and tell the others that you're okay." he explained."I imagine they're really worried about you."
"I'll bet they are." Deeanna said softly. Even softer,"they'd be even more worried if..."
"If what?" Ken asked, overhearing that last bit.
"Did I say something?" Deeanna asked, turning a blank stare on Ken.
"I...thought you did. Never mind." Ken said, shaking his head. He could have sworn that she'd said something...
Deeanna watched Ken jog away. She really wished she could have told him the truth, she really did. But, she was having conflicting thoughts. This was why she had come back, yes, but how to say the words? She couldn't just yet. There'd been enough upsets for that evening, already. Now just wasn't the time.
"Is Deeanna alright?" was the general question directed at Ken when he reached the others.
"She's okay...for now." he replied, an edge to his voice."She was devastated."
"I could imagine that." Matt said.
"I don't want anything to do with Yolei anymore." Ken said bluntly."She's nothing but a pain."
The others nodded understandingly. Ken picked up Deeanna's bag, then looked around for DemiVeemon.
"Where's the little blue bottomless pit?" he inquired.
"Went with Izzy for the evening." Tai said."Izzy said not to worry about DemiVeemon."
"Okay, I'll tell Deeanna that." Ken nodded."Thanks. Good night."
"G'night, Ken."
Ken took the still unhappy Deeanna back to his new apartment.
"You can have the bed, Deeanna." Ken said."I'll sleep on the floor."
"No, I'll sleep on the floor. You take the bed." Deeanna countered.
"No, you-"
"You-"
"Fine," Ken snarled, raising his hand. Deeanna raised hers."Rock, paper, scisors!"
Best two out of three, Deeanna won. She grinned triumphantly.
"Why on earth do you want to sleep on the floor, anyway?" Ken asked, disgruntled.
"Because it reminds me of when I was a kid." Deeanna replied, blushing slightly."You know..."
Ken did know. That one night, six years ago...
Deeanna peeked into the bedroom.
"Why argue about it, though, there's a double bed." she observed.
"Ah, well, I, uh..." Ken said, flustered."It just doesn't feel right, you know..."
Deeanna cocked her head at him.
"Oh, come now, Ken." she said."I'm, not gonna seduce you or anything, geez...it's just better that we both sleep on the bed, that way it's fair, you see."
"Ahh." Ken said."Um, since it's dinner time, and, um, I really don't feel like cooking tonight," his tone was appologetic."why don't we order in?"
"Sounds good to me."
After a dinner of take-out chinese food (which involved a playful fight between the two of them after Deeanna found it amusing to flick rice at Ken), they settled into bed. That was akward enough as it was. Even Deeanna's old t-shirt and trackpants caused Ken to blush. Deeanna ignored his blushed, curled up, and fell asleep. Ken lay awake for a long time, watching Deeanna sleep. He'd truely missed her.
In the early hours of the morning, Deeanna began to whimper. The sound was so soft that it didn't bother Ken. Soon, Deeanna was moaning in her sleep, tossing lightly, clutching at the sheets. Ken stired slightly, waking very slowly. A scream of soul shredding pain made his eyes fly open. He fell out of bed. Had he imagined the scream? No. Deeanna was crying. He got up off the floor, and crawled across the bed to her. She was doubled up, and rocking slightly, as if trying to ease a sharp pain. What scared Ken worse than this was the fact that her body was...fuzzing up, like a digimon that was badly hurt. Like fragmenting data. He grabbed her shoulders and shook her gently. The fragmenting stopped.
"Deeanna!" he cried."What's wrong? What's happening to you?"
Deeanna continued to rock, eyes screwed closed, biting her lip in an attempt to muffle her whimpering.
"Please, you have to tell me." Ken urged."You're in pain, Deeanna, and I need to know why. How can I help you?"
"You...can't." Deeanna said in a small voice.
Ken would never forget the words she spoke next.
"I'm dying."
Deeanna ran as fast as her legs would go, her vision blurred by her tears. How could he?! She wanted to yell and scream and hit something or someone. She wanted to tear Yolei's hair out by the roots. She wanted to cry. She wanted to lay down and die...
Her sharp hearing told her that Ken was indeed running after her.
*Let him run!* she thought, struggling to control her sobs.
"Deanna!" Ken called.
"Leave me alone!" Deeanna yelled over her shoulder.
Crying and running weren't two things that went together well, and Deeanna slowed down gradually, until she was doing no more than very fast walking. Ken caught up, and wrapped his arms around her gently from behind. Deeanna struggled half heartedly as she cried. Ken turned her around, and held her firmly.
"Go away!" Deeanna sobbed, trying to punch him."I hate you-! I-I-I ha-hate-!"
"Shh shh shh," Ken murmered."calm down."
Slowly, Deeanna quieted, sobbing aloud now and then. She muttered softly to herself. Ken caught the words "Cheating", "Hussy", "Hate you", and "Liar".
"Now, Deeanna," Ken said, leading her over to the shde of a tree."we're going to sit down, and we're going to talk about this."
Deeanna sat down, still sniffling. Her eyes were red, and her face puffy.
"Deeanna, I have NOT been cheating on you." Ken said. Deeanna glared fiercely at him."No, it's true," he insisted."All these years, I've been waiting for you. I've never even looked at another girl. Yolei is just a jealous...hussy, as you call her." he laughed softly.
"Then why'd you let her kiss you?" Deeanna demanded.
"Well, she took me by surprise." Ken explained."I didn't really know what to do. And, I did pull away."
"And you broke Ch-ch-!" Deeanna said, her eyes tearing up again. Ken gathered her into a hug.
"I'm so sorry that happened, Deeanna. It was an accident. I wish I'd had a better grip on it. I wish it hadn't happened at all. I think that Yolei was trying to make you angry by kissing me in front of you."
"Well I think it worked!" Deeanna said, screwing up her face against a fresh set of tears."I hate these female emotions! I cry too much!"
"Oh, Deeanna..." Ken said, cuddling her close.
A small clinking sound made Izzy look up from the picnic table where he was sitting, head in hands, pondering the strange situation. DemiVeemon had deposited all the broken pieces of chibi-Ken on the table.
"I picked them all up, Izzy." he said."Can you put them back together?"
"I can try." Izzy said."In fact, I think I can, and I will. It'll make Deeanna happy again, I bet."
He scooped the pieces up and into a bag.
"Come on, you," he said to the small blue digimon."you know exactly how it should look, so why don't you tag along with me and see that I put it back together right, okay?"
"Kay!" DemiVeemon chirped, hopping onto Izzy's hand, scrambling up his arm, and sitting on his shoulder.
"Hey," Izzy called to the others."I'm taking DemiVeemon with me tonight, so if you see her, tell Deeanna not to worry."
"Will do." Joe said.
Ken stood up. Deeanna looked at him questioningly.
"I'm going back to get your bag, and tell the others that you're okay." he explained."I imagine they're really worried about you."
"I'll bet they are." Deeanna said softly. Even softer,"they'd be even more worried if..."
"If what?" Ken asked, overhearing that last bit.
"Did I say something?" Deeanna asked, turning a blank stare on Ken.
"I...thought you did. Never mind." Ken said, shaking his head. He could have sworn that she'd said something...
Deeanna watched Ken jog away. She really wished she could have told him the truth, she really did. But, she was having conflicting thoughts. This was why she had come back, yes, but how to say the words? She couldn't just yet. There'd been enough upsets for that evening, already. Now just wasn't the time.
"Is Deeanna alright?" was the general question directed at Ken when he reached the others.
"She's okay...for now." he replied, an edge to his voice."She was devastated."
"I could imagine that." Matt said.
"I don't want anything to do with Yolei anymore." Ken said bluntly."She's nothing but a pain."
The others nodded understandingly. Ken picked up Deeanna's bag, then looked around for DemiVeemon.
"Where's the little blue bottomless pit?" he inquired.
"Went with Izzy for the evening." Tai said."Izzy said not to worry about DemiVeemon."
"Okay, I'll tell Deeanna that." Ken nodded."Thanks. Good night."
"G'night, Ken."
Ken took the still unhappy Deeanna back to his new apartment.
"You can have the bed, Deeanna." Ken said."I'll sleep on the floor."
"No, I'll sleep on the floor. You take the bed." Deeanna countered.
"No, you-"
"You-"
"Fine," Ken snarled, raising his hand. Deeanna raised hers."Rock, paper, scisors!"
Best two out of three, Deeanna won. She grinned triumphantly.
"Why on earth do you want to sleep on the floor, anyway?" Ken asked, disgruntled.
"Because it reminds me of when I was a kid." Deeanna replied, blushing slightly."You know..."
Ken did know. That one night, six years ago...
Deeanna peeked into the bedroom.
"Why argue about it, though, there's a double bed." she observed.
"Ah, well, I, uh..." Ken said, flustered."It just doesn't feel right, you know..."
Deeanna cocked her head at him.
"Oh, come now, Ken." she said."I'm, not gonna seduce you or anything, geez...it's just better that we both sleep on the bed, that way it's fair, you see."
"Ahh." Ken said."Um, since it's dinner time, and, um, I really don't feel like cooking tonight," his tone was appologetic."why don't we order in?"
"Sounds good to me."
After a dinner of take-out chinese food (which involved a playful fight between the two of them after Deeanna found it amusing to flick rice at Ken), they settled into bed. That was akward enough as it was. Even Deeanna's old t-shirt and trackpants caused Ken to blush. Deeanna ignored his blushed, curled up, and fell asleep. Ken lay awake for a long time, watching Deeanna sleep. He'd truely missed her.
In the early hours of the morning, Deeanna began to whimper. The sound was so soft that it didn't bother Ken. Soon, Deeanna was moaning in her sleep, tossing lightly, clutching at the sheets. Ken stired slightly, waking very slowly. A scream of soul shredding pain made his eyes fly open. He fell out of bed. Had he imagined the scream? No. Deeanna was crying. He got up off the floor, and crawled across the bed to her. She was doubled up, and rocking slightly, as if trying to ease a sharp pain. What scared Ken worse than this was the fact that her body was...fuzzing up, like a digimon that was badly hurt. Like fragmenting data. He grabbed her shoulders and shook her gently. The fragmenting stopped.
"Deeanna!" he cried."What's wrong? What's happening to you?"
Deeanna continued to rock, eyes screwed closed, biting her lip in an attempt to muffle her whimpering.
"Please, you have to tell me." Ken urged."You're in pain, Deeanna, and I need to know why. How can I help you?"
"You...can't." Deeanna said in a small voice.
Ken would never forget the words she spoke next.
"I'm dying."